Interval training is a great tool for runners of all abilities and can help you get faster and stronger. It can be a complicated business to get right though. I’ve tried to simplify it as much as possible below and this blog is aimed at those new to this type of training. Here’s a few important points. 

beginners track

On track

  • Interval training is, in it’s simplest form, periods of running faster (efforts), followed by running slower or walking (recoveries) a few times in a row (number of reps). Your efforts and recoveries can be measured either by time or by distance. For example 400m effort followed by 200m recovery x4; or 5 minutes effort followed by 90 second recovery x 3; or even 800m effort followed by 2 mins recovery x 6.
  • The length of your effort and recovery, the pace you’re aiming to run each effort and how many you do will depend on your fitness, your training aims, which energy system and muscle type you’re looking to work, what other training you’ve done that week and any other goals for the session. So there’s a lot to consider.
  • In very simple terms – if you’re training for a longer race, you’ll mostly benefit from longer efforts and vice versa. But it’s not just about the length of the interval. For example – I really enjoy running mile repeats (and the best type of training is the type you enjoy) so I run these year round. If I’m training for a 5k or 10k, I might do a session of 3 x 1 mile close to my 5k pace, but right now I’m in marathon training so I might run 6 x 1 mile at somewhere around half marathon pace.
  • It’s this balance of pace, distance, recoveries and reps which can make interval training tricky. But it doesn’t have to be. It can be as simple as going out on your usual 4 mile run route and every mile, throwing in 30 seconds of faster paced effort or ‘surges’, before carrying on at your usual pace. I use these with some of the athletes I coach who haven’t done any structured interval training before. It’s a good way to get them to play around with different paces and think about their running form.
intervals highbury

Intervals in Highbury Fields.

  • You can do interval training anywhere. Classically you might think of the track, which is a good place because if you’re doing intervals of 400, 800 or 1200m, you don’t have to look at (or trust) your GPS watch. The distance is measured for you and there on the ground. But with mile reps or longer, you’ll probably get bored of running round in circles – so take it to the park or the street.I run laps of Finsbury Park (just shy of 1.5 miles) or a portion of Clissold Park (1 mile), I ran 1km ish laps of Highbury Fields with friends a few weeks ago and I’ve set my running groups sessions that involve running round the block. Don’t get hung up on it being an exact distance – as long as you start and stop at the same point they’ll all be consistent. Just make sure your route is clear of obstacles and safe.
  • Consistency is important. If you’re running reps of the same distance and pace, with the same recovery throughout, I’d be looking for your times to be very close throughout. If you start off too fast in your first rep, you’ll know about it soon enough.
  • If you’re new to this type of training, you should only be doing it once a week and it’s a good idea to get some guidance on your paces, distances etc. Go along to your local running club where they’ll have coached interval sessions and the coaches will be able to tell you what level you should be working at. Doing your intervals with others is a great way to make it more fun and push yourself a little.
  • Most importantly – you’ll need to warm up fully before doing this type of training. otherwise you could injure yourself and, at the very least, you won’t be running at your best.

    • Take a look at my Training Guides for plans across a number of distances.